the poem look on the page, is suggestive of the curves of the female form, thus allowing the structure of the poem to emphasize the theme of natural feminine allure. 

Angelou uses repetition throughout the poem to bind it together poetically, as well as to emphasize her main point. The rhythm created by the repetitions in lines like:

"The reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my steps,
The curl of my lips" (lines 6-9)

serve the purpose of listing the narrator's feminine attributes in a predictable way throughout the poem, but also create the rhythm and sway that evokes a curvy woman swinging her hips as she strolls down a street. 

Angelou also uses repetition in the final four lines of each stanza:

"I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman,
That's me."

This chorus acts a repetition of her thesis for the poem: that her power, beauty and grace come from her inherent femininity, rather than an external trait granted by society.

Examining Angelou's word choice, one cannot escape her decision to use the word "phenomenal." According to dictionary.com, the word can have several meanings. The first and most obvious is "highly extraordinary; exceptional" and this fits right in with what Angelou is saying in the poem. Her narrator is an exceptional woman, who intrigues both men and women, but is also exceptional because she is a woman, embodying the Platonic ideal of what being a woman means and is. 

However, phenomenal directly relates to phenomenon, which means "a fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable." This definition injects some irony into the poem. The narrator tries time and again to demonstrate her innate womanliness and its power, by indicating things like the "arch of [her] back" or "sun of [her] smile" (lines 38-9). To her, female beauty and power are a clear phenomenon, observable by the senses. But the men "say they still can't see" (line 36). To them, this beauty and power is a mysterious force, unknowable even when they are directly shown it. 

Most readings of the poem correctly identify the themes of confidence in oneself and inner beauty that Angelou emphasizes in the poem. However, a deeper look, as shown above, will also reveal the celebration and reverence of the feminine that Angelou gives to her narrator. 

Maya Angelou's poem "Phenomenal Woman" could arguably be one of her most popular and beloved poems. While it may not serve as an inspiration for all women, this poem certainly addresses topics and ideas that many women strongly identify with and find to be empowering.

Overall, "Phenomenal Woman" encourages women to embrace their individuality and cherish their unique brand of beauty.

The word "phenomenal," by its commonly used definition, describes something that is "extraordinary and remarkable." Throughout the poem, Angelou makes a loud and proud statement about her own identity as a woman: she is not just any kind of woman, but a phenomenal one.

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I’m telling lies.

I say,

It’s in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

As explanation for men's attraction to her, Maya Angelou's speaker describes the movements of her individual features and the poetry of her motions. These, she declares, are the reasons for her being a "phenomenal woman."

In the first stanza, the speaker notes that pretty women are curious about her secret and ask her how she is able to be so attractive to men. However, when she explains that it is not just her features, "They think I'm telling lies." Nevertheless, she says that her "certain something" that is indefinable is found in the style of her movements and the grace of these movements:

It's in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips...
The swing in my waist

Then, too, she employs imagery to describe the unique features of her body:

It's the fire in my eye,
And the flash of my teeth

The speaker then further explains that she has an inner mystery reflected by her body and movements, which she describes in metaphoric terms:

It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile...
The grace of my style.

Calling herself "a woman / Phenomenally," the speaker adds that men cannot define what it is that draws them to her. For she has an inner mystery, and even when she makes an effort to show it to them, the men say that they still cannot see from what features come her mysterious attractiveness. While the men in the poem look for something concretely physical as the cause of the speaker's attractiveness, the speaker understands that her feminine power comes from an inner source reflected in a combination of physical attributes.

Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet and actress (even receiving an Emmy nomination for her part in the Roots mini series), has an abundance of experience from which to draw in her poetry. Her early life was difficult and traumatic and even caused her to stop speaking for five years, between the ages of eight  and thirteen. Angelou believes in learning from every circumstance and growing stronger. She encourages women, in Phenomenal Woman, to be proud of who they are and to see beyond superficial beauty, despite the average woman not being "built to suit a fashion model’s size."   

In explaining her story, Angelou, in the poem, persuades her audience to listen to her "secret" in understanding her own "inner mystery." A woman's unique qualities are what define her and this poem is designed to give confidence to any woman, especially through the use of repetition so that, by the end of the poem, each and every woman is convinced that she is, in fact, that  "Phenomenal woman, / That's Me." This repetition is a tool, used effectively in encouraging women.

The title and the use of the first person draw readers into this poem as it ensures that the poem does not become a generalization but reflects a very personal message. Angelou could have spoken about phenomenal women (plural) but it would not have been as compelling or persuasive. In dealing with challenges, trauma and life, it is necessary to accept what occurs because, no matter what, the essential elements of a "phenomenal woman"  remain and she just needs to be reminded of them in order to retain a positive attitude and sense of self. There is no need to "shout or jump about / Or have to talk real loud." Self assurance comes from understanding her own place in the world. 

The poem is almost lyrical and has the most impact when spoken out loud. It is not complicated and any literary devices are descriptive and create appropriate and often pleasing visual pictures such as " the joy in my feet." The description of men as compared to "A hive of honey bees" is very significant in terms of the importance of bees and the romantic notions of making honey whilst, in fact, bees are potentially deadly. This relates to the complex relationship between men and women. Even if a reader does not make the connection, the imagery remains honest and straightforward.

Much of the language used (the diction) is casual and distinct from the very powerful word "phenomenal," creating the dramatic impression (mood) which Angelou inspires and ensuring that the poem has an air of hopefulness and positive energy, ensuring a tone that is optimistic and encouraging. The use of rhyme adds interest to the poem and stresses the fact that no two women are the same, much like Angelou's use of rhyme is not uniform. Alliteration is used subtly and ensures a distinct personality, not replicated, again stressing a woman's individuality as: 

It’s in the click of my heels,   

The bend of my hair,   

the palm of my hand, 

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. 

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size   

But when I start to tell them, 

They think I’m telling lies. 

I say, 

It’s in the reach of my arms, 

The span of my hips,   

The stride of my step,   

The curl of my lips.   

I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman,   

That’s me. 

I walk into a room 

Just as cool as you please,   

And to a man, 

The fellows stand or 

Fall down on their knees.   

Then they swarm around me, 

A hive of honey bees.   

I say, 

It’s the fire in my eyes,   

And the flash of my teeth,   

The swing in my waist,   

And the joy in my feet.   

I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me. 

Men themselves have wondered   

What they see in me. 

They try so much 

But they can’t touch 

My inner mystery. 

When I try to show them,   

They say they still can’t see.   

I say, 

It’s in the arch of my back,   

The sun of my smile, 

The ride of my breasts, 

The grace of my style. 

I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me. 

Now you understand 

Just why my head’s not bowed.   

I don’t shout or jump about 

Or have to talk real loud.   

When you see me passing, 

It ought to make you proud. 

I say, 

It’s in the click of my heels,   

The bend of my hair,   

the palm of my hand,   

The need for my care.   

’Cause I’m a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me.

"The Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou is a poem written in free verse. The poem consists of five stanzas, with the first, second, fourth, and fifth ranging from 12 to 16 lines in length and the middle or third stanza consisting of two lines. The poem is narrated in the first person. Although the narrator proclaims herself to be a "phenomenal" woman, the fairly generic praise terms used in the poem give us no specific details of her age, social status, career, family situation, or race, although the emphasis on her attractiveness to men suggests that she accepts traditional gender roles and is heterosexual. Thus she is intended in some ways to represent "everywoman" or the universal possibilities of women of a certain character.

The term "phenomenal" is not used here in a technical philosophical sense but rather as an expression meaning a combination of outstanding, exceptional, and popular. In the 1970s when this poem was written, the term could also be used in a manner to similar to how the term "viral" is used now. 

The poem is an extended meditation on how the narrator manages to attract so much male attention. The first stanza starts out by suggesting that traditionally pretty women are jealous of her and don't understand how the narrator, lacking traditional cuteness and not looking like a fashion model, is nonetheless so compelling attractive. The second stanza describes how she affects and attracts men. The third stanza describes how men have difficulty understanding the source of her attractiveness and the fourth stanza describes the source of her pride and attractiveness in her inner strength or attitude. 

“Phenomenal Woman” is a poem published by the famous writer and poet Maya Angelou. The poem was first published in her 1978 poetry collection And Still I Rise. Although the poem is around forty years old, it appears to be quite relevant to contemporary discussions about womanhood and beauty norms.

The poem begins with the narrator stating that they’re “not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size.” The speaker goes on to explain their phenomenal state as a result of the reach of their arms and the stride of their step. In the first stanza, what’s beautiful, exceptional, or phenomenal isn’t how small or diminutive the speaker is; rather, it’s the speaker's expansive size that makes them noteworthy.

In the second stanza, the speaker explains their notable presence in more elusive terms. It has to do with the fire in their eyes, the swing in their waist, and the captivating yet intangible way that the speaker generally moves around.

In the fourth stanza, the speaker reinforces the link between their phenomenal personhood and their enigmatic style. The speaker says,

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery.

In the final stanza, the speaker explains why the enumerated traits have resulted in a person who feels no need to yield to power or act out to draw attention. In the last stanza, it seems like the speaker arrives at the conclusion that their rejection of restrictive beauty norms, their acceptance of their natural body, and their cultivation of a deep interiority has given them the confidence and security that makes them a phenomenal woman.

Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" describes a woman who has a certain je ne sais quoi. This is a French expression used to convey a quality that one senses about another without being able to exactly describe it.

In Angelou's poem, the speaker initially states that prettier women than she "wonder where my secret lies" because they do not know how to define it. Indeed, the speaker possesses a quality that attracts men without objective explanation because she is not "cute or built to suit a fashion model's size." Yet, while others may not be able to define her feminine magnetism, the speaker feels that she can. Put simply, she defines herself:

I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

In the second stanza, the speaker expands upon her definition of herself as a "Phenomenal woman" who causes men to stand or even kneel in awe of her when she enters a room. Some even "swarm" around her as bees to a hive. This occurs because she has a "fire" in her eyes, a "flash" of her teeth, a "swing" in her waistline, and a "joy" to her feet as she enters. All of these movements catch the eyes of men; nevertheless, she cannot be defined by these men who watch her because she is "a woman/Phenomenally."

In the brief third stanza, the speaker confirms her description of herself:

Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Finally, in the fourth stanza, the speaker notes that men themselves are puzzled by what it is about her that they perceive when they see her. For, they cannot solve her "inner mystery" even when she tries to "show them." Truly, then, it is just that je ne sais quoi --that certain something--that makes her all woman:

It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.

Not just one who possesses certain very seductive womanly qualities, the speaker is entirely a woman because of her self-confidence and comfort in her appearance. She knows that she does not have perfect features, but she uses every part of her womanly self to her advantage. For this reason, she is a "Phenomenal woman"--a woman whose summation of qualities creates the "phenomenon" of beguiling men.

First, while this is a poem that some women may find inspiring, others may not. The poem received a substantial amount of publicity from Oprah Winfrey, a popular television personality, whose work tends to emphasize "inspiration" in the sense of an uplifting positive outlook on life, slickly marketed.

The aspect of the poem that some women find inspirational is the narrator's assertion that although she is not conventionally pretty, men still are attracted to her due to a combination of personal magnetism and a sort of visceral appeal and physical voluptuousness. As many women in the western world feel under pressure to conform to media standards equating self-worth and beauty with thinness and the traditional image of the fashion model, some women may find it inspiring that the narrator of the poem proclaims her confidence even to the point of suggesting that she evokes jealousy from "pretty women," as in the lines:

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size ...

It's in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips ...

Although some women find this pushback against unrealistic expectations of body shape and size inspiring, there is a somewhat less inspiring side in that the poem's narrator does not challenge the notion that a women's worth lies in her sexual attractiveness and that a woman's self-valuation should be based on a sort of competition with other women to be stared at more by men as a sexual object. In that sense, this poem seems to fit well with the ethos of Oprah Winfrey's magazine O that serves as a platform advertising and selling beauty products, marketed to audiences of all skin colors and body types.

Personally, I would find a poem that located the value of women in their intellect, skills, and character far more inspiring than one that suggests that what makes a woman "phenomenal" is men staring at her as they would a piece of pornography.